Amaury's Hellion (8 page)

As if it was that easy with the way her body tingled under his touch. His scent of leather and spice alone made her stomach spasm—and she wasn’t talking menstrual cramps, no, she was talking orgasmic spasms. She’d do well staying away from him.

“Do you need a reminder?” Amaury lowered his head.

Hell, no!

She remembered all too well. “Don’t you dare!” Nina yelled, more at herself than at him. If she allowed him to kiss her again, she’d completely melt and turn into a lump of putty. She couldn’t afford that to happen to her. Once had been sufficient, thank you very much.

He grinned down at her with his bad-boy charm that turned her insides to mush.

“Maybe later?” he asked and continued walking along, seemingly unaffected by her outburst.

Nina glanced around, trying to get her bearings. They were still in the Tenderloin and only a block from his place.

“Where are you taking me?” She could guess, but wanted confirmation.

“My place. I doubt you’d want me to bring you to a hospital. Am I right?”

A hospital wouldn’t be a good choice. With her injuries, she was sure they’d involve the police. Not only was she not going to be able to explain to them that she’d been in a fight with vampires, but her own background would come up in the process. And she preferred her background to remain where is was—in the dark.

“Care to explain to me what a girl like you was doing fighting two vampires?”

“How about you explain it?”

His stunned look appeared genuine and surprised her. “You’re not suggesting I had anything to do with that?”

“Well, did you?”

Amaury slowly moved his head from side to side. “I’m not the kind of man who sends two guys after helpless women like you.”

“I’m not helpless.”

He raised a mocking eyebrow. “Whatever. I do my own dirty work. I don’t hire others to do it for me.”

“I see.”

“I don’t see how you could.” He paused. “I was looking for you. Seems somebody else found you first. Wanna explain to me what they wanted from you, besides the obvious?”

How much of the fight had he heard before he’d intervened? Was he aware that Johan had wanted to have his fun with her? “I wouldn’t know. I was as surprised by the two as you were.”

“Believe me, vampires don’t attack indiscriminately. There’s always a reason.”

He couldn’t be serious. Vampires attacked whenever they felt like it or found an easy target. As if they needed a reason to do harm. Did he think she was gullible enough to believe vampires had some sort of moral code they operated by?

“Since they were the ones attacking me, maybe you should ask
them
.”

“Dead vampires don’t talk.”

“One’s still alive. How about you go after him, rather than abduct me?”

“I’m taking care of you first, whether you like it or not.”

They entered a six-story apartment building, and effortlessly Amaury carried her up the stairs to the top floor.

“Can you grab my keys out of my right jacket pocket, please?”

It would be easier if he’d drop her onto her feet, but he seemed to have no intention of doing so. Nina bent toward his side and stretched her arm to reach into his pocket. The action brought her head closer to his. She felt him inhale sharply. Was he sniffing her hair?

She quickly took the keys out of his pocket and reached toward the door. Within seconds they were inside. Nina took in the large apartment. The ceilings were at least twelve feet high, and the style reminded her of the 1920s, which was probably when the building was erected. To her right were floor-to-ceiling windows with a view into downtown and the Bay Bridge.

There was a small office alcove and a sitting area. In another corner she saw a punching bag suspended from the ceiling, something she’d expect to see in a boxing gym, not the home of a vampire. Not that she’d ever been to a vampire’s lair.

Amaury sat her down on the couch. When his arms released her, she felt strangely cold and shivered instantly. It confirmed what she’d felt when straddling him earlier: his body was warm. And now that she thought of it, when he’d kissed her the night before, his lips and tongue had been downright hot. How could that be? She’d always assumed that a vampire’s body was cold—in fact, she knew that from the movies. But no way would she ask him why. For all she knew, over-confident as he was, he’d think she was interested in him, when she was anything but!

“You’ve lost some blood. Here.” He handed her the afghan which had carelessly lain over the backrest of the armchair.

“Thanks.” She took the blanket with shaking fingers and covered her lower body with it. Nervousness crept through her body at the knowledge of being alone with him in his place. This was his home turf – he had all the advantage he could ever want.

“See, you do have some manners.” He walked toward one of the doors and disappeared behind what she assumed was either the master bedroom or a bathroom.

“You oaf!” she grumbled under her breath. The man was infuriating. He treated her like a child, when she was no child at all.

Running away from her last foster home with her little brother in tow had ensured she’d grown up fast. Stealing, cheating, and fighting her way through adolescence had done the rest. And now she was a self-sufficient grown woman of twenty-seven. Definitely no child!

“What are you mumbling?”

He’d surprised her with how fast he’d returned, a bowl of water and a towel in hand.

“I’m not mumbling anything.”

“Move over,” he ordered. “I’m going to clean your cuts.”

“I can do it myself. You’re not getting anywhere near my blood.” Did she have naïve tattooed on her forehead? Like she didn’t know what he wanted.

“Ah, I see the issue. You’re worried I’ll bite? If that was my intention I would have done it where I found you. Trust me, take-out is fine by me. I feed on the go.”

He compared her to take-out food?

“Those fangs of yours aren’t going anywhere near my skin.” She underscored her answer with a warning glance which the big bad vampire completely ignored.

“And here I thought you liked me, considering that kiss …”

He had the gall to throw that issue back into her face.

Jerk!

Seven

Amaury suppressed his urge to smile. Nina was quite a fighter and sparring with him at every turn. He’d been out wandering the streets in search of a meal after his burns from the day before had healed when an intoxicating scent had drifted his way. Instantly, he’d recognized it as the scent of the woman who’d kissed him the night before.

As he’d followed her trail, he’d suddenly heard a scream. Instinctively, he’d known it was her even though he’d never heard her voice before. Once he saw what dilemma she was in, there had been no hesitation on his part. He had to protect her no matter what.

He didn’t know either of the two vampires she was fighting and was pretty damn sure they were new in town. Nina had proven to be quite good with the stake, and luckily she hadn’t used it on him. However, when she’d suddenly straddled him after she’d dusted that bastard, his heart rate had doubled. Amaury wasn’t sure whether the reason was the stake in her hand or the position she had taken above him.

Despite her protests now, he sat down on the couch, nudging her aside with his thigh against her hip. And he had his answer: his heart was pounding again. It was the contact with her body which made his heart rate spike, just like it had when she’d straddled him and during that first kiss.

First?

Yes, because there would be a second and a third and a …

Amaury cleared his throat. “Nina, let’s get that shirt off you.” He liked using her name. It suited her right down to the short, honey curls and those plump lips that were made for kissing. He promised himself right there and then that she wouldn’t leave his place until he’d tasted those lips again.

“No! I’m not wearing anything underneath.”

His heart stopped for an instant as a vision of her naked skin appeared in his mind.

Even better!

“Well, that saves me from having to liberate you from your bra.” Could she hear the desire in his voice, feel the heat in his body as anticipation of seeing her naked raised his temperature?

“Jerk!”

She could shout at him all she wanted. He knew she had no other weapons on her, well, at least none which could hurt him. The knife she carried on her hip was of metal – thankfully not silver – and would do no damage to him, which meant at least tonight she wouldn’t try to kill him. It was a definite improvement over the previous night.

“How do you expect me to take care of your wounds if you don’t want to take off your shirt?”

“I can do it myself.”

“Are you always this stubborn?”

No answer.

“Will it kill you to let somebody help you?”

Nina pressed her lips together into a thin line, then gingerly pushed one side of her tattered garment off her shoulder, revealing a large gash. Her skin was pink. The scent of blood wrapped around him, engulfing him in her essence. How could he possibly not be affected by this tempting creature? Resistance was futile, surrender inevitable. The jury was still out on who would surrender to whom.

“Looks bad.” He made a corner of the towel wet and gently patted the wound with it, soaking up the blood which kept seeping from it. She winced despite the fact he barely used any pressure on the wound.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to clean it out, so it won’t get infected. Luckily the knife only grazed you.”

When he’d seen the vampire readying himself to throw the knife, he’d reacted out of pure instinct. Because she’d straddled him—a position he had enjoyed for far too brief a time—he hadn’t been able to move fast enough to prevent her from being hurt.

Amaury lowered his head, pretending to inspect the wound. In truth, he enjoyed her closeness. “It’s not too deep.”

“Don’t you have any rubbing alcohol or something?” she asked.

“I’m afraid not. I don’t exactly keep a first-aid kit around, since I don’t need it myself.”

His own wounds from the day before had healed without the aid of any man-made medication while he’d slept.

“Right; being a vampire, I suppose, has its advantages,” she remarked in a clipped tone.

The way she said it didn’t sound like she considered this to be a good thing. Frankly, his ability to heal quickly was one of the things he liked most about being a vampire. Being injured sucked.

“What else do you know about me? Should I introduce myself or is that unnecessary?” he asked. For a second he reconsidered his decision of bringing her into his home, but since she knew what he was anyway, there was no use in hiding. Maybe she already had a whole dossier on him. He wouldn’t mind helping her add some details to it, such as what he liked in bed.

“Amaury LeSang,” Nina answered simply.

It didn’t surprise him that she knew his name. Since she’d followed him the previous night and had come prepared with a stake, she probably knew more than just his name.

“This is the first time I have my own little stalker. I’m quite flattered.” Unless, of course, she tried to kill him again, if that was what her intention had been the previous night.

“I’m not a stalker.” Her defiant glare hit him like a punch in the gut. There was so much pain in her eyes, he wanted to merely wrap her into his arms and squeeze her tight. His own reaction surprised him. He wasn’t the cuddly kind.

“What do you call it then when you follow me around at night?”

Again her mouth distorted into a thin line. Nina obviously didn’t like to be cornered. No answer was forthcoming. Was she pissed now and not talking to him anymore?

“You mean I’m not the only one you stalk? Well, now I’m hurt. And here I thought you were interested in me.”

“Oh, you’re such a pompous ass!” she spat.

“Pompous ass or not, it got you talking.” Amaury smirked. He loved the way her cheeks reddened and could almost feel the heat in them radiate outwards. She was lovely when she was angry. Maybe he should continue provoking her.

He felt her warm skin under his hand where he held her shoulder to keep it immobile. He let his thumb stray, slowly gliding over her skin. The motion heated the natural oils on her skin, and the intoxicating scent drifted into his nose. She was like a heady perfume, making him dizzy. That and the aroma of her blood played havoc with his body and mind.

His fangs twitched, ready to descend and drive into her flesh, hungering for a taste.

“What are you looking at?” Nina suddenly asked, her voice edgy. Had she caught him staring?

“We’ll have to close up the wound, otherwise it won’t stop bleeding.”

Good save, Amaury!

“You wouldn’t have a Band Aid lying around?” Her tone was sarcastic. She clearly didn’t trust him further than she could throw him, which wouldn’t be very far at all. Not with his massive proportions. He perused her pretty frame. She wasn’t petite, but compared to him, she looked fragile. Her body was well proportioned: generous curves, strong muscles, yet feminine.

“Do you?” Her voice made him lift his eyes to look at her wound again. Band Aid? No, he didn’t have such a thing.

“I’ve got something better than that.” What the hell, he’d just do what he would normally do: close the wound with his saliva. Use the tools he had.

Amaury lowered his head to her shoulder and felt her pull away from him. “What are you doing?” Panic laced her voice, and her eyes opened wide.

“I’ll lick your wound. My saliva will mend it.” It was simple enough and would be delicious. He’d get a taste of her blood after all.

Nina jerked backwards, scrambling to get away from him, but he pulled her back with both hands.

“Trust me, it won’t hurt.” He infused his voice with a soothing tone.

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

“Not at all. Actually, I think you’re quite smart. Very few humans have figured us out, but obviously you have.”

“That’s right. And that’s exactly why I’m not going to let you near my blood.” There was a hard tone in her voice, mirroring her icy look. Melting that ice had just turned into the most important task on his agenda.